Adjustable propeller



May 19:l 1936- s. G. KOTELEVTSEFF ADJUSTABLE PROPELLER Filed May 15, 1955 g sheets-sheet 1 FQ, z

SERGE G'. [forum/rsf#- INVENTOR BY mamar ATTORNEY May 19, 1936.

S. G. KOTELEVTSEFF ADJUSTABLE PROPELLER Filed May 15, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 SERGE G, KQ TELEWSEFF INVENToR BY Q64@ /Laomy- ATTORNEY Patente 19, 1936 N man .PATENT FFICE A ADJUSTABLE PROPELLER Serge G. Kotelevtsefi, New York, N. Y. Application May 15, 1935, Serial No. 21,536

i Claims. (Cl.170163) My invention relates to adjustable propellers and has particular reference to propellers in which the blades can be turned and moved in their sockets in the hub.

The object of my invention is to provide a propeller for airplanes, airships and boats, the pitch of which can be adjusted during the flight as well as the diameter of the propeller.

Another object of my invention is to provide a propeller the blades of which are arranged tangentially on its hub so as to provide more room for the sockets on the hub in which the shanks of the blades are turned.

Another object of lmy invention is to provide a propeller with bladesadjustable as to their pitch and diameter, the Shanks of these blades being slidably iitted in tangentially arranged sockets on the hub, the sockets being provided with means for retaining a liquid lubricant which also acts as a shock absorbing medium.

My invention is more fully described in the accompanying specification and drawings in Which- Fig. l is a front view of my propeller partly in section, Fig. 2 is a side. view of the same partly in section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a front view of a three-bladed propeller, Fig. 4 is a view of another modification, Fig. 5 is a partial end view of a modification shown in Fig. 4, Fig. 6 is a detail view of a modification shown in Fig. l, Fig. 7 is a sectional 'view of another modification, Fig.8 is a sectional view of still another modification, and Fig. 9 is a partial rear view of a modification shown in Fig. 8.

My propeller consists of a hub I with a central aperture 2 with slots 3 for mounting on the end of a power shaft 4 of an engine 45 and provided with splines 5 fitting in the slots 3. On the periphery of the hub there are arrangedtangential sockets 6 provided with cylindrical bores or apertures 1. The outer portions of these bores have spiral splines 8. Tubular members 9 are slidably fitted in the apertures 1 and have spiral splines I on the outside engaging the. splines 8. The

, members 9 have cylindrical apertures inside into which shanks II of blades I2 are fitted. Splines are removed from the ends of .the sleeves 9 and grooves I3 are provided for clamping collars I4. The clamps are-made in two halves connected by hinges I5 and drawn together by bolts I6.

Grooves I1 are made in the Shanks II for the outer flanges of the clamps I4. The sleeves 9 have slots I8 so that these sleeves can be clamped tight over the Shanks I I by the clamping collars |14. The rear ends of the shanks have bores I9 for the ends of screws 20. The screws are threaded in the inner ends of the members 9 and are provided with longitudinal apertures 2 I. Leather collars 22 are tted over the inner ends of the members 3 and are held by bushings 23 and expanding rings 24 so as to render the spaces 1 oilproof.

`The inner portion of the screw is journaled in a partition 25 in the bore of the sockets 6. A Worm gear 26 is mounted on the inner end of the screw and is retained by a shouldered portion 21 at the end and a thrust bearing 28 interposed between the gear and the partition. A nut 29 is screwed on the outer portion of the screw forming another thrust member for retaining the screw against any longitudinal movements. Slotted portions 30 are adapted to clamp the nut 29 in its position by means of expanding screws 3|. The sockets abut with their.inner portions into the outer portions of the adjacent sockets as shown. Holes 32 are provided in the walls of the l sockets for inserting the screws 29 when the mechanism is being assembled. Slots33 are also provided for insertion of the gears 26, Worms 34 on shafts 35 are in mesh with the gears 26. These shafts extend transversely in the hub and their ends are provided with pinions 36. Internal and external 'gear rings 31 and 38 are in mesh with the pinions 36. The rings have shoulders 39 retained by guiding rings 40 and 40 fastened to the face of the hub I by screws 4I. The gear rings are mounted so that they are held by friction only and can be rotated in relation to the guiding rings.

A fork 42 is pivotally mounted on a pin 43 in a bracket 44 on a stationary portion of the engine 45 andis provided with an operating rod 46. The ends of the fork have friction blocks 41 adapted to engage one or the other of the gear rings.

The space 1 may be filled with a suitable lubricant.

One of the splines I0 is partly removed as shown in Figs. 1 and 8, the remaining short spline 48 forming a shoulder resting against a stop screw 49 when the member 9 is moved out thereby limiting the outward movement of the sleeves 9 with the blades. It is evident that any suitable number of sockets with blades can be arranged tangentiallyaround the hub, and a three-bladed propeller is shown in Fig. 3. Y

In order to adjust the propeller during its rotation the rod 46 is pushed or pulled so that one or the other of the friction blocks 41 of the fork 42 bears against one of the rings 31 or 38. The gear ring engaged by the fork is accordingly prevented from rotation with thehub. The gear `ring being stationary, the pinions 36 will be forced aperture in the screw 20 when sleeve 9 is moved propeller shown in Fig. 1,

in or out. e

A modified arrangement is shown in Figs. 4 and 5. Here the blades I2 are provided with collars loosely tted over recesses 8|. The collars consist of two pieces each connectedl by bolts. They have lugs 82 to which rods 83 are pivotally connected by pins 84. -The other ends of the rods are pivotally connected with the ends of lugs 85 extending from a collar 86 rotatlvely supported on a. cylindrical extension of a hub 81. Lugs 88 on the sockets 89 guide the rods in their movements. With this arrangement the system of levers formed withv the collar 86, lugs 85 and rods 83 ties the blades together in such manner that they can only move exactly the same distance even if there is some difference in the tension of the respective springs 66.

The tangential arrangement of the blades changes the centrifugal stresses, which tend to act at an angle `in direction of a dashed line 9| instead of a line 90 as in ordinary propellers. The angular direction of the centrifugal force (Fig. 3) causes a certain amount of binding on the blade shanks holding them more firmly in the sockets.

Another modification is shown in Fig. '7. Here the steel sockets 6 are joined in the middle by a relatively thin plate 92 with a central aperture into which a splined bushing 93 is fitted and bolted together with a bushingr94 by bolts 95. The engine shaft is fitted into tlie bushings 93 and 94. Shafts96 of the worms 34 are journaled in bushings 91 and 98 in the sockets at an angle to the engine shaft. The ends of the shafts 96 have bevel pinions 99 in mesh with bevel gears |00 and I0|. The gear |00 is mounted on rollers |02 on the bushing 94, and the gear 0| is by its cylindrical extension |03 mounted on balls |04 on a cylindrical extension |05 of the gear |00. A fork |06 mounted on a shaft 43 and operated by a rod 46 may be brought Yinto engagement with the cylindrical extensions |93- or |05 by its friction lugs |91. The operation of this propeller is similar to the operation of the Another modiflcation is shown in Figs. 8 and 9. Here the worms 34 are mounted with their shafts |08 horizontally in the sockets 6 and are provided with bevel pinions |09 on the ends in mesh with a single bevel gear H0. The latter is rotatlvely supported on the bushing 94 and has a cylindrical extension with an internal gear H2 in mesh with pinions ||3. The latter are rotatively mounted on the-extensions of bolts |14 joining together the bushings 93 and 94 and the hub`plate 92. l external gears ||5 on cylindrical members H6 rotatlvely mounted on the bushings 94.' A friction arm ||1 is. supported between the extensions and ||6 on a pin 43 and can be moved against one of the extensions' by the rod 45.

The operation of this propeller is similar to the other modifications described, except that the rotation to the shafts |08 from the gear H5 is transmitted through the idle satellite pinions H3.

Important advantages of my propeller are that it is adjustable both as to its pitch and diameter, its hub is made of a single piece of metal or block mounted directly on the end of the engine shaft; the sockets are arranged tangentially to the hub permitting a. comparatively large movement of the blades; the movements are dampened to prevent iluttering of the blades; the mechanism is The pinions are also in mesh with perfectly lubricated; the blades, being in contact with the hub through large metal surfaces, help to radiate engine heat.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an adjustable propeller, the combination of a hub provided with a central aperture for mounting on a power shaft, sockets formed tangentially on said hub, the outer portions of said sockets being spirally splined inside, propeller blades, the Shanks of said blades being spirally splined and slidably fitted in the splined portions of the sockets, partitions in said sockets, shafts journaled in said partitions, the outer ends of said shafts being threaded and engaging the correspondingly threaded holes in the end portions of said shanks, worm gears mounted on the inner ends of said shafts, worms in mesh with said gears, means to prevent the axial movement of said threaded shafts, and means to selectively rotate said worms in .either direction thereby turning said gears and said screws thereby changing the diameter and pitch of said propeller.

2. In an adjustable propeller, the combination of a hub, sockets formed tangentially on said hub and provided with cylindrical bores, propeller blades, the shanks of said blades being splined on the outside and slidably fitted in the corresponding splines in the outer portions of said bores, partitions in said sockets, shafts journaled in said partitions, the outer ends of said shafts being threaded and fitted in correspondingly threaded holes in the end portions of said shanks, means to prevent the axial movement of said shafts, and means to manually rotate said shafts in either direeuon thereby causing said Shanks 35 to move axially in said splined bores.

3. In an adjustable propeller, the combination of a hub in the shape of a steel plate, bushings bolted to said plate at the opposite sides and adapted to be fittedon a power shaft for said propeller, tubular sockets arranged tangentially on,said hub, the outer portions of said sockets being splined inside, propeller blades, the shanks of said blades being splined outside and slidably fitted in said sockets, ,transverse partitions in said sockets, shafts journaled in said partitions, gears on the inner ends of said shafts, means to prevent axial movement of said shafts, the outer ends of said shafts being threaded and movably fitted in correspondingly threaded holes in the inner ends of said shanks, and means to manually turn said gears on said shafts thereby moving said Shanks, axially.

4. In an adjustable propeller, the combination of a hub, sockets formed tangentially on said hub and provided with cylindrical bores, propeller blades, the shanks of said blades being splined on the outside and slidably fitted in corresponding splines in the outer portions ofsaid bores, partitions in said sockets, shafts journaled in said partitions, the outer ends of said shafts being threaded and movably fitted in corresponding threads in holes in the inner ends of said shanks, means to prevent the axial movement of said shafts in said partitions, means to manually turn said shafts in either` direction for moving said Shanks in said splines, and packing rings on the inner ends of said shanksadapted to seal the clearance between said shanks and the inner smooth portions of said bores, the space in said sockets between said shanks and said partitions being filled with a liquid lubricant;

SERGE G. KO'I'ELEVISEFF. 

